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Securing China's Weapon-Usable Nuclear Materials

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Securing China's Weapon-Usable Nuclear Materials Science & Global Security, 22:50–71, 2014 Copyright C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0892-9882 print / 1547-7800 online DOI: 10.1080/08929882.2014.871899 Securing China’s Weapon-Usable Nuclear Materials Hui Zhang Project on Managing the Atom in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA, USA This article describes the status of China’s military and civilian nuclear programs, fissile material production and associated nuclear facilities, and the Chinese nuclear experts and officials’ perspectives on the nuclear terrorism threat. It gives details of China’s nuclear security practices, attitudes, and regulations, as well as identifying ar- eas of concern. The article recommends ways to strengthen China’s nuclear material protection, control, and accounting systems and suggests opportunities for increased international cooperation. FISSILE MATERIAL STOCKS AND FACILITIES As a nuclear weapon state with a large and expanding nuclear power sector, China has stockpiles of both military and civilian nuclear material, especially highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium, and the associated production and storage facilities. There is considerable uncertainty about China’s stockpiles of fissile ma- terial. It is estimated that China’s military inventory of weapon-grade HEU could be about 16 ± 4 tons of HEU and 1.8 ± 0.5 tons of weapon-grade for weapons.1 China has produced HEU for weapons at two facilities: Lanzhou gaseous diffusion plant (GDP), which began operating in January 1964; and Heping Received 19 July 2013; accepted 2 November 2013. The author is grateful to those Chinese nuclear experts who participated in interviews. The author also would like to thank Matthew Bunn and Martin Malin for helpful dis- cussions and the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation for financial support of this work. Address correspondence to Hui Zhang, Belfer Center for Science and International Af- fairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. E-mail: hui [email protected] 50 Securing China’s Weapon-Usable Nuclear Materials 51 GDP, a “Third Line” facility that began operating in 1975. The Lanzhou and Heping GDPs stopped production of HEU in 1979 and 1987, respectively.2 China has produced plutonium for weapons at two nuclear complexes: The first is the Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex. This site includes China’s first plutonium reactor, which began operation in 1966, and the associated repro- cessing facilities. The second is the Guangyuan plutonium production com- plex. The reactor began operation in 1973. Both the Jiuquan and Guangyuan reactors stopped plutonium production in 1984 and 1989 respectively. All these military production facilities have been closed, converted, or are being decommissioned.3 It is estimated that perhaps less than half of China’s military stocks of fissile materials could be contained in its nuclear warheads. The rest of the material could be located at a small number of sites including the Jiuquan and Guangyuan plutonium production complexes which conduct HEU and pluto- nium processing, warhead component production, and weapon assembly; the China Academy of Engineering Physics which conducts research, development and design of nuclear weapons; and at storage facilities of fissile materials (see Table 1). Chinese non-weapon uses of HEU and plutonium are very lim- ited. China’s nuclear-power submarines are fueled with low-enriched uranium (LEU). Military Stock China has an estimated total inventory of approximately 170 nuclear war- heads including about 110 operationally deployed nuclear missiles, and 60 warheads stored for its submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and bombers.4 It has been reported that China has a highly centralized storage and han- dling system for warheads managed by 22 Base under the Second Artillery Corps.5 Most of the Chinese warheads are stored at the 22 Base and a very limited number of warheads are in storage at six missile bases. The central warhead storage complex is in Taibai Mountain.6 The 22 Base uses advanced physical protection systems including real time video and infrared monitoring, fingerprinting, temperature and humidity controls, and a computerized war- head accounting system.7 Civilian Stock Civil use of HEU in China is limited. China’s Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR), which reached criticality in July 2010, had a first loading of almost 240 kg of HEU (64.4% uranium-235), provided by Russia. The CEFR even- tually will use mixed oxide fuel (MOX), as will China’s planned future fast reactors. China has a number of HEU-fueled research reactors (see Table 2). 52 Zhang Table 1: China’s institutions and nuclear facilities associated with fissile material production. Nuclear weapon design and manufacture facilities China Academy of Engineering Research, development and design of Physics (CAEP), Mianyang, nuclear weapons Sichuan Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex, Former plutonium production facility. Yumen, Gansu (Plant 404) Conducts HEU and plutonium processing; warhead component production; and weapon assembly. Guangyuan plutonium production Former plutonium production facility. Not complex, Guangyuan, Sichuan clear if conducts plutonium processing, (Plant 821) warhead production. Plutonium production reactors Jiuquan reactor at Plant 404 Operated in 1966–1984 Guangyuan reactor at Plant 821 Operated 1973–1989; being decommissioned. Reprocessing plants Jiuquan intermediate Operated 1968–early 1970s. reprocessing plant (small) at Plant 404 Jiuquan military reprocessing Operated 1970–1984 plant (large) at Plant 404 Guangyuan reprocessing plant at Operated 1976—1991 Plant 821 Pilot reprocessing plant at Plant Civilian; operational since December 404 2010 Enrichment plants Lanzhou Gaseous Diffusion Plant Former military facility; shut down; began (GDP) (Plant 504), Lanzhou, operation in 1964 and ended HEU Gansu production in 1979. Heping GDP (Plant 814), Heping, Former military facility; began operation Sichuan in 1975 and ended HEU production in 1987. Producing LEU for naval reactors? Lanzhou CEP (Plant 504), Lanzhou, Operational since 2001; producing LEU Gansu for civilian use. Hanzhong CEP, Shaanxi Operational since 1996; producing LEU for civilian use; under IAEA safeguards. Since 2007, several have been shut down or converted to LEU. Now the major operational facilities include two miniature neutron source reactors (MNSR) (approximately 1 kg of 90% uranium-235 in each), one zero-power fast criti- cal reactor (90% uranium-235, 0.05 kWt), and one PPR pulsed reactor (20% uranium-235, 1 MWt). China has decided to shut down its MNSRs and build new LEU fueled reac- tors. In September 2010, China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed an agreement to convert a miniature re- search reactor in China from HEU to LEU fuel.8 The project was implemented Securing China’s Weapon-Usable Nuclear Materials 53 Table 2: China’s research reactors. Reactor Operator Characteristics Status China Experimental China Institute of FBR, 64.4% HEU, 65 Operational since Fast Reactor (CEFR) Atomic Energy MWt/25MWe July 2011 (CIAE), Beijing Zero Power Fast Critical Nuclear Power Institute Critical fast, 90% Operational Reactor of China (NPIC), HEU, 0.05 kWt Chengdu, Sichuan PPR Pulsing Reactor NPIC, Chengdu Pool, 20% HEU, 1 Operational MWt MNSR-SZ Shenzhen Univ., Tank in pool, LW, Operational (to be Guangdong 90% HEU, 30 kWt converted) MNSR-IAE CIAE, Beijing Tank in pool, LW, Operational (to be 90% HEU, 27 kWt converted under U.S.-China cooperation) HFETR NPIC, Chengdu Tank, LW, LEU, 125 Converted in 2007, MWt operational MJTR NPIC, Chengdu Pool, LW, LEU, 5 Converted in 2007, MWt operational MNSR-SD Research Institute of Tank in pool, LW, Shut down Geological Science, 90% HEU, 33 kWt (reportedly in Jinan, Shandong December 2010) MNSR-SH Shanghai Institute. For Tank in pool, LW, Shut down in 2007 Measurement and 90% HEU, 30 kWt Testing Technology, Shanghai HFETR Critical NPIC, Chengdu Critical assembly, Converted in 2007, Assembly LW, LEU, 0 KWt reportedly shut down later. Fast Neutron Critical CIAE, Beijing 0 kWt, likely HEU Operational Assembly HWRR CIAE, Beijing LEU, 15 MWt Operational SPR CIAE, Beijing Pool, LEU, 3.5 MW Operational China Advanced CIAE, Beijing Tank in pool, LW, First Critical in May Research Reactor 19.75% LEU, 60 2010 (CARR) MWt NHR-5 Tsinghua University, Heating supply Operational Beijing reactor, LEU, 5 MWt HTR-10 Tsinghua University, High Temperature Operational Beijing Gas-Cooled Reactor, coated particle fuels, LEU, 10 MWt ESR-901 Tsinghua University, Pool, 2-cores, 1 MWt Critical in 1964, Beijing 19.75% LEU operational Notes. Ministry of Environmental Protection, National Nuclear Safety Administra- tion, Comprehensive Safety Inspection Report on Civilian Nuclear Facilities, 2012, <http://www.mep.gov.cn/zjyj/201206/W020120615619308262677.pdf>; NTI, Civilian HEU: China <http://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/civilian-heu-china/>; IAEA Research Reactor, data at http://nucleus.iaea.org/RRDB/RR/ReactorSearch.aspx. 54 Zhang in 2013. China is willing to assist other countries in converting their research reactors by utilizing the expertise and experience gained from the relevant co- operation with the United States. China’s use of HEU for research reactors in the future would be insignificant. China produced no civilian plutonium until it operated a pilot reprocess- ing plant at Jiuquan nuclear complex in
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